Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread about possible heat issues with a side exit exhaust. I had a question about the proximity to the plastic body parts under the fender. The consensus was there's nothing to worry about.

Side exit exhaust question

Got my Borla 40665 installed today. The exhaust is routed out the side, just behind the rear mud flap. I had originally thought to install the chrome OEM tip, but I went with having it all painted black instead.

Also, check out these video clips highlighting the differences between the stock exhaust and the Borla:

Exterior Video

Interior Video

At the end of each vid, there is a quick A/B comparison. Watch to the end.
Hope it's helpful.

I am actually looking at this for my next mod. I've pretty much decided on Borla. Do you get any droning at all at highway speeds? I've read that Borla doesn't, and that's why I'm leaning towards going that route. Thanks in advance.

How big a difference is it in person? The Borla setup is very quiet in the video, different tone but really no louder it seems, is that what real life is as well?

So this is a straight forward muffler weld on replacement of the stock muffler?

To many different opinions, one guy in the link above said he switched to Gibson because Borla is too loud? others say its fine, drone/ no drone

So, when you say "exhaust" is it just a cat back of did you change the midpipes also?

DAY 2:
I took a highway trip today to determine if any persistent droning problems exist.

None detected.

There is a *slight* resonance in the cab at 2300-2500 RPM. The Borla has an overall throatier tone and is a bit louder than stock. You can hear it inside, but it's not oppressive. The 4Runner is not known for having a quiet cab anyway. (Once you crack a window, any increase in exhaust volume/resonance is not noticeable) This is a subtle mod.

During my drive, I actually tried to make it drone. At freeway speeds, I found myself between 1700-2100 RPM. The nature of freeway driving makes the RPMs vary quite a bit. It was very difficult to maintain the RPMs in the "drone zone". I suppose if you were climbing a hill, you might be able to keep the RPMs around 2500, but I wasn't able to create this on a flat highway.

As I said earlier, the difference is quite subtle. Exactly what I wanted.

You're right, in the Borla product video, the setup is quiet. But, in real life, it is louder than stock, but not much. You cannot hear any difference at idle.

I hope the videos I linked help to explain.

Yes. This is just a replacement of the stock muffler, with a right angle exit. Not the Borla cat back "system". $$$

I have never heard a Gibson in person. But, if someone says the Borla is "too loud", I'm not really sure what they would be looking for. It's not loud at all. If the Gibson is quieter than the Borla, why would they get it?

Hard to describe I guess. If the stock exhaust is a volume 1, then the Borla is a volume 2. Would the Gibson be a 1.5? (Just speculating, I've never heard a Gibson vs. Borla)

No drone.

brilliant

I'm not sure I understand, you replaced just the muffler and had the stock pipe bent to come out the side?
I looked into keeping all stock and having the tail come out the side. Two shops wanted ~$350 just to bend the pipe. A catback system can be had for a few bucks more

Yeah you are getting bent over for that price. Must be demographics, in Houston they can be done here at my local shop for 50, chrome tip weld 50, muffler weld 75.

I'll try to clarify:

1. The stock pipe was cut just before and after the muffler. Stock muffler removed.
2. Borla and new hangers got welded in.



3. The pipe going over the rear axle remained in place.
4. That pipe was cut after it turns down. Stock tailpipe removed.



5. New piece of bent pipe welded in and a new hanger was attached to existing aft location.




If you're looking to keep the stock muffler, you only need steps 4 and 5 above.
$350 to do *just* the right angle is madness. Are those shops suggesting that it would take 3+ hours to do it?!? Insane.

Pricing breakdown:

Product - I got the Borla 40665 on Amazon for around $100.
Labor - 1.5 hours for the entire job = $140

~$240 for everything is much less than ~$700(plus labor!) for a complete system.

If you decide to do business with the shops that quoted you those astronomical prices, at least make sure they give you time to get your pants off before they start.

Thanks for the info. I'll defiantly need to shop around. Both shops said the exhaust was stainless and they would need to bend it rather than cut/ weld